A Toronto public school board trustee wants to get rid of the controversial new lottery system used to admit students to many specialized high schools and programs and bring back a merit-based approach.
, which focus on areas such as arts, science and math. He knows of students who were unsuccessful in the lottery and are now headed to other boards or private schools, calling it a “talent drain.”
“Since the changes to the policy, more students who represent the diversity of TDSB schools have expressed an interest in and have registered to attend these programs,” Ryan Bird told the Star.Before the policy change, students applied directly to the programs and schools and had to demonstrate ability, which may have included an entrance exam or audition. But now, the application process is handled centrally and students just need to indicate interest in the program.
He intends to present a motion in June to reverse the admissions policy. He’ll need a majority of the trustees — 12 out of the 22 — to agree to reopen debate on a decision made last May. Because half of the board members were newly elected in the October municipal election, Pei hopes he can garner the necessary support. At Tuesday’s meeting, new trustees Liban Hassan of Ward 6 and Dennis Hastings of Ward 1 , were there to show their support for Pei, who’s also a new trustee.
The new policy was implemented this year for those applying for September 2023. Interest was up. According to TDSB data, the number of Grade 9 applications for September 2023 was up in all programs totalling 9,660. By comparison, in September 2022, there were a total of 6,844 applications.
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